Despite government assurance to repair damaged roads and infrastructure soon after the flood waters receded, many rural pathways, bridges and culverts still remain in vulnerable state due to lack of government initiatives.
Government sources have said that at least 890km of roads in 11 districts was completely destroyed during the monsoon flooding in early August, while 10,469km of roads in 29 districts was partially damaged.
Local people in Kurigram District have vented their anger and frustration at local authorities over the slow rate of repair work.
“Even though the flood water has receded, authorities are yet to repair the damaged roads and culverts. As a result, public suffering has increased,” said Nazrul Islam, a rickshaw puller of Pachgachhi union under Kurigram Sadar upazila.
“The flood has destroyed the prosperity we achieved over the years. Families have been displaced, the agricultural sector has been seriously affected and domestic animals have been killed, while people continue to survive with little support from the government.”
According to a report from the Department of Disaster Management (DDM), the floods ravaged 724 villages in nine upazilas under the district, while 164.6km of roads, 23 bridges and culverts were damaged. At least 24km of flood-protecting embankments were also damaged.
“A few roads have been repaired on a priority basis,” Syed Abdul Aziz, the chief engineer of Kurigram Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), told the Dhaka Tribune.
“A report has been sent to the government seeking financial allocation for rest of the damaged roads. The reconstruction work will begin after the application has been approved.”
Hundreds of thousands of people were marooned by the rise in water levels of Brahmaputra, Dharla and Teesta rivers following heavy downpours and the onrush of water from the upstream hilly areas in neighbouring India.
This year, the most infrastructural damage occurred in Dinajpur district, where 267km of roads were completely damaged and a further 1,729km was partially affected. At least 336 bridges and culverts in the district were also hit by the flood, according to the DDM report.
The roads linking Dinajpur with Parbatipur, Gobindaganj, and Setabganj, and the Birganj-Pirganj road are the most affected public thoroughfares in the district.
Also affected are the Dinajpur Bypass; the Dinajpur-Birol, Chirirbandar-Amtoli, and Birampur-Hakimpur roads; and the roads from Nababganj to Fulbari and Birampur, and from Birganj to Kaharol and Khansama.
Dinajpur Roads and Highways Department Executive Engineer Masum Sarowar told the Dhaka Tribune that they had repaired the affected roads temporarily to restore the movement of vehicles, and sent their plan of action to the government, but are yet to receive approval.
“A meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday at the ministry, where we will present our plan of action regarding reconstruction work. The final decision will be taken at the meeting,” he said.
Similar scenarios can be found in other flood-hit districts including Panchagarh, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Gaibandha, Naogaon, Jamalpur, Tangail, Mymensingh, Netrokona, Moulvibazar, Sunamganj and Chandpur.
People of these areas are still facing hardship as infrastructure remains unrepaired. Local sources said that farmers and traders are forced to use alternative routes, requiring more time and incurring extra transportation costs.
In many cases, the locals have temporarily repaired the affected roads and culverts themselves to make do. Villagers and auto-rickshaw drivers of Durgapur union under Lalmonirhat Sadar have repaired a broken culvert with wood and bamboo. However, it is still too risky for heavy vehicles to pass through.
“Due to the indifference of government officials, we have repaired the culvert for temporary use by collecting money from rickshaw pullers and auto-rickshaw drivers,” said Md Tofazzal Hossain, an auto-rickshaw driver from Durgapur union. “The villagers have also come forward to help but the situation deserves attention from the government.”
Shahidul Islam, a member of ward 1 of Durgapur union, said government officials had visited the culvert soon after it was affected, but initiatives were yet to be taken to fix it permanently.
“We have asked the responsible authorities to take quick measures to solve the problem and end this suffering,” Shahidul told the Dhaka Tribune.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
